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US/CAN $39.95  GARDENING / HERBS

The most comprehensive, truly practical guide

Ginseng, Goldenseal
GROWING
and other
to the cultivation of woodland botanicals
GROWING AND MARKETING

Ginseng, Goldenseal
…the most significant, must-have reference on growing ginseng, goldenseal, and

Woodland Medicinals
other woodland medicinal plants.
STEVEN FOSTER, Senior author, Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants

Scott Persons and Jeanine Davis have written the only accurate and comprehensive grower’s guide

AND
to woodland cultivation of American ginseng and other forest medicinal and culinary herbs…

Woodland Medicinals
BOB BEYFUSS, American Ginseng Specialist, Cornell University Cooperative Extension (retired)

MARKETING
NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED, Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and other and other
Woodland Medicinals is the authoritative source for practical information on the cultivation of more
than a dozen sought-after shade-loving native species. Learn how to establish, grow, harvest
and market:
• Popular medicinal roots such as ginseng, goldenseal and black cohosh
• Other commonly used botanicals including bloodroot, false unicorn and mayapple
• The nutritious wild food, ramps, and the valuable ornamental, galax.
This comprehensive guide enables small landowners to preserve and enhance their treed space while
simultaneously earning supplemental income. Packed with budgeting information, proven best practices,
extensive references, personal success stories and an all-new section for the home gardener, this
invaluable resource will excite and inspire aspiring and experienced growers alike.

…the definitive guide to growing our shade-loving native

medicinal plants for fun and profit.
JAMES B. MCGRAW, Eberly Professor of Biology, Department of Biology,
West Virginia University

W. Scott Persons
Jeanine Davis and
…an instant classic in the fields of medicinal plant horticulture,
sustainable agriculture, and agroforestry.
ERIC P. BURKHART, PhD., Program Director, Plant Science, Shaver’s Creek
Environmental Center, The Pennsylvania State University

Jeanine Davis is an associate professor and W. Scott Persons is the author of American
extension specialist with NC State University. Her Ginseng: Green Gold and an expert in growing
focus is helping farmers diversify into medicinal and marketing wild-simulated and woods-
herbs, new crops and organic agriculture. cultivated ginseng.

&
D
SE TED
www.newsociety.com
Jeanine Davis and W. Scott Persons I
E V A
R PD
U
 Praise for Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and other Woodland Medicinals

This book is the complete resource for ginseng. I recommend this book to our members
and visitors who are interested in learning and growing their own green gold. Thank you
for bringing so much helpful and useful information.
—Michael S. Lee, President of WildGrown.com

The definitive guide to growing our shade-loving native medicinal plants for fun and profit.
As an ecologist and conservation biologist, I particularly appreciate the fact that woodlot
owners can help take some pressure off wild populations through careful cultivation of me-
dicinals on appropriate plots in their forested landscape. By passing on lessons from their
vast hard-won experience in this enterprise, Davis and Persons have done a great service.
—James B. McGraw, Eberly Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, West Virginia University

My office is like a shell midden, with the oldest and most decomposed material at the
bottom, and more recent and vital material located somewhere near the surface. I am
delighted to report that my copy of Davis and Persons’ book has always stayed right at the
top! wUpgrades to the information found in this book will help maintain this tradition of
growing valuable plants close to home, and I believe the plants will join me in thanking
the authors for a job well done. May we all go out to the woodlands, drop to our knees in
the cool, soft earth, and cultivate, for the love of life, a rare plant.
—Richo Cech, herbal author and gardener at Horizon Herbs, LLC in Williams, Oregon.

The recent popular interest in wild American ginseng spurred by high prices in Asian
markets means that now more than ever it’s important to create cultivated woods-simu-
lated supplies of American ginseng and other woodland medicinal plants. Scott Persons
and Jeannine Davis have combined decades of experience and expertise to create the most
significant, must-have reference on growing ginseng, goldenseal, and other woodland me-
dicinal plants. Anyone interested in understanding any aspect of wild American ginseng,
it’s biology, history, economics, and the practical details of production needs this book.
—Steven Foster, Senior author, Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants.

Important revised work on how we can encourage conservation through cultivation of

two medicinal and economically important plants that have been on United Plant Savers
At-Risk list since UpS created this list.
—Susan Leopold, Executive Director of United Plant Savers.
This work is a plant lover’s treasure. What Jeanine and Scott have accomplished with this
book will be revealed for years to come, as the layers of wisdom and knowledge are deep.
Scientists, herbalists, growers, conservationists, native plant enthusiasts, ‘plantophiles’ in
general will thrill at the research and clear, user–friendly information that is in these pages.
You can easily tell that these authors have made this a life long passion and profession
—Kathleen Maier, RH (AHG), Sacred Plant Traditions, LLC

This book is required reading for anyone interested in growing ginseng and other wood-
land botanicals in a shady site. Persons and Davis have captured the wisdom of a gener-
ation of ginseng growers in this comprehensive book, now updated to include practical
information for home gardeners who want to enrich a patch of woods with native medic-
inal plants.
—Barbara Pleasant, award-winning garden writer and contributing editor to Mother Earth News

The first edition of this book became an instant classic in the fields of medicinal plant
horticulture, sustainable agriculture, and agroforestry. With this latest edition, Scott and
Jeanine have remarkably managed to expand, improve and update this classic so that it
is now even more useful and full of up-to-date information. Their combined knowledge,
experience and wisdom is abundant throughout this book. I heartily recommended this
updated edition to anyone interested in native woodland plants and their culture.
—Eric P. Burkhart, PhD., Program Director, Plant Science, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center,
The Pennsylvania State University

Scott Persons and Jeanine Davis have written the only accurate and comprehensive grower’s
guide to woodland cultivation of American Ginseng and other forest medicinal and culi-
nary herbs. This new revision of their original book is a significant improvement over the
first edition, with updated and expanded information. In addition to being full of practical
“how to” data, based on both University peer reviewed research, as well as first-hand knowl-
edge and experience, it is a delightful and easy to read textbook. I consider this book as truly
a “must read” for anyone who is seriously interested in pursuing this form of Agroforestry.
—Bob Beyfuss, American Ginseng Specialist, Cornell University Cooperative Extension (retired)

This unique book is a comprehensive guide on the history, production and marketing of
medicinal plants native to the forests of eastern North America. Practical experiences are
included from both an American and Canadian perspective. It is a valuable, easy to read
resource for both the beginner and experienced grower.
—Dr. Sean Westerveld, Ginseng and Medicinal Herbs Specialist,
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs
 GROWING and MARKETING

Ginseng, Goldenseal
and other Woodland Medicinals

REVISED AND UPDATED

Jeanine Davis and W. Scott Persons

 Copyright © 2014 by Jeanine Davis and W. Scott Persons. All rights reserved.
Previous edition © 2005 and 2007 W. Scott Persons and Jeanine Davis.
Cover design by Diane McIntosh.
Printed in Canada. First printing June 2014.
New Society Publishers acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada
through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities.
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal &
Other Woodland Medicinals should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below.
To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America)
1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com
Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
(250) 247-9737
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Persons, W. Scott, 1945–,
[Growing & marketing ginseng, goldenseal & other woodland medicinals]
Growing and marketing ginseng, goldenseal and other woodland
medicinals / Jeanine Davis and W. Scott Persons. — Revised and updated
2nd edition.
Revision of: Growing & marketing ginseng, goldenseal & other woodland
medicinals / W. Scott Persons, Jeanine M. Davis. — Fairview, N.C. :
Bright Mountain Books, c2005.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
isbn 978-0-86571-766-4 (pbk.). — isbn 978-1-55092-563-0 (ebook)
1. American ginseng. 2. Goldenseal. 3. Medicinal plants. I. Davis, J. M.
(Jeanine Marie), 1955–, author II. Title. III. Title: Growing & marketing
ginseng, goldenseal & other woodland medicinals
SB295.G5P48 2014 633.8'8 C2014-901910-6
C2014-901911-4
New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an
ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment,
in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but
through action. The interior pages of our bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council®-
registered acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free),
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or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com
 Contents

List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ix
Preface I (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Preface II (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
xiii
Author Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
xv
Abbreviations and Definitions (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
xvii
General Introduction (Jeanine Davis and Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . .
1

Part One: American Ginseng (Scott Persons). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1. American Ginseng: Its Life Cycle, Range, Related Species,
and Government Regulation (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2. History of the Ginseng Trade: Ancient China to
the New Millennium (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Part Two: A Ginseng Grower’s Manual (Scott Persons). . . . . . . . . . 43

3. Under Artificial Shade (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4. Wild-Simulated Planting (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5. Woods Cultivation (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
6. The Harvest: Picking Berries and Stratifying Seeds, Digging
and Drying Roots (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
7. Business Decisions and the Future Market Outlook (Scott Persons) . . . . . 147
8. A Grower Tells His Own Story: Oscar Wood (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . 165
9. Ginseng Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
10. Ginseng References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

v
vi • Contents

Part Three: Other Species of Green Gold: Goldenseal and Ramps

(Jeanine Davis). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
11. Goldenseal: Its History, Range, Description, Uses, and
Government Regulation (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
12. Goldenseal Growing Instructions: Methods, Care, Protection,
Harvesting, and Marketing (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
13. Goldenseal Growers’ Stories (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
14. Ramps: History, Description, and Uses (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . 249
15. Ramps Growing Instructions: Methods, Care, Protection, Harvesting,
and Marketing (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
16. Ramps Growers’ Stories (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Part Four: There Are Many Other Woodland Medicinals You Can Grow
(Jeanine Davis). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
17. Bethroot (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
18. Black Cohosh (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
19. Bloodroot (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
20. Blue Cohosh (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
21. False Unicorn (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
22. Galax (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
23. Mayapple (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
24. Pinkroot (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
25. Spikenard (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
26. Wild Ginger (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
27. Wild Indigo (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
28. Other Forest Botanicals Growers’ Stories (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . 357

Part Five: Growing Woodland Medicinals in the Home Garden

(Jeanine Davis). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
29. Making the Perfect Woodland Garden Site (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . 373
30. Choosing the Plants to Grow in Your Garden (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . 385
31. How to Grow a Garden in the Woods (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
32. Ginseng — ​A Horticultural Challenge (Scott Persons) . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
 Contents • vii

33. Making Some Simple Products from Your Woodland Medicinals

(Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
34. Home Gardeners’ Stories (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Part Six: Sustainable Wild-harvesting (Jeanine Davis). . . . . . . . . . 431

35. What Is Wild-harvesting? (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
36. Why There Will Always Be a Place for Wild-harvesting (Jeanine Davis) . . . 437
37. Rules and Regulations for Wild-harvesters (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . 439

Part Seven: Supplemental Information (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . 441

Appendix 1: Forest Botanicals Bought and Sold in the United States

and Canada (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Appendix 2: Prices Paid for Forest Botanicals from 2004 through 2013

(Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Appendix 3: Interesting and Helpful Calculations, Tables, and

Miscellaneous Information (Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
Appendix 4: Good Agricultural, Collection, and Manufacturing Practices

(Jeanine Davis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Appendix 5: Joe-Ann McCoy’s Disease List (Joe-Ann McCoy) . . . . . . . .
477
References and Resources for Parts Three through Six . . . . . . . . . . . .
483
Comprehensive Resource Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
493
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
499
 Tables

1. Recent Prices for Wild and for Field-cultivated Ginseng . . . . . . . . . . . 41

2. Profit and Loss Statement for One-tenth Acre of Ginseng Grown
under Artificial Shade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3. Comparison of Average Calcium Levels Found in Soils with Wild Ginseng
Stands of Varying Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4. Projected Nine-year Budget for One-half Acre of Wild-simulated Ginseng . 82
5. Visual Site Assessment and Grading Criteria for Potential Woodland
Ginseng Growing Operation for a Northern Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
6. Ginseng Root Weight Response to Four Plant Spacings
at Ages 2 through 6 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
7. Suggested Ginseng Pest Control Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
8. Projected Seven-year Budget for One-half Acre of
Woods-cultivated Ginseng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
9. Ginseng Grower’s Calendar for Intensive Woods Cultivation . . . . . . . . 125
10. Estimated Woods-grown Ginseng Farming by State in 2000 . . . . . . . . . 160
11. Estimated U.S. Woodland Ginseng Farming in 1994 and 2000 . . . . . . . . 161
12. Four-year Hypothetical Farm Enterprise Budget for One-tenth Acre
of Certified Organic, Woods-cultivated Goldenseal Using the Lowest
Yields Reported by Growers or Obtained from Research and
Demonstration Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
13. Four-year Hypothetical Farm Enterprise Budget for One-tenth Acre
of Certified Organic, Woods-cultivated Goldenseal Using the Highest
Yields Reported by Growers or Obtained from Research and
Demonstration Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

ix
x • Tables

14. Four-year Hypothetical Farm Enterprise Budget for One Acre

Certified Organic Goldenseal Grown under Artificial Shade . . . . . . . . 227
15. Vestal’s Estimated Five-year Budget for One-half Acre of Forest-grown,
Wild-simulated Goldenseal from Planting to Harvest in 2003 and 2013 . . . 235
16. John’s Budget for One Acre of Certified Organic Goldenseal Grown
under Artificial Shade for Three Years in 2003 and 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . 247
17. Farm Enterprise Budget for One-tenth Acre of Ramps Grown in the Forest . 268
18. Farm Enterprise Budget for One Acre of Black Cohosh Grown under
Artificial Shade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
19. Farm Enterprise Budget for One Acre of Bloodroot Grown under
Artificial Shade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
20. Forest Botanicals Price Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
21. Estimated Plants per Acre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
22. Commonly Used Fahrenheit-to-Celsius Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
23. Other Handy Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
 Preface I
When I realized that my old book, Ameri­
can Ginseng: Green Gold, was rapidly be-
coming outdated and that a new book was
needed, I thought that many of my poten-
tial readers would be interested in practi-
cal, detailed information and instruc­tion
on growing other valuable native wood-
land medicinal herbs — ​other species of
green gold — ​as well as ginseng. I asked
Dr. Jeanine Davis to be a co-­author and
cover the additional material. Dr. Davis
and I have interacted professionally for
many years. I grow American ginseng and
a little goldenseal on wooded hillsides in
western North Carolina at the edge of the
Great Smoky Mountains. Dr. Davis is a pro-
fessor at North Carolina State Univer­sity’s
Mountain Horticultural Crops Research
and Extension Center, where she conducts
research on a wide variety of native wood-
land botanicals. Dr. Davis works only about
an hour’s drive northeast of me, and we of-
ten share information, and sometimes we
find ourselves speaking at the same confer-
ences — ​I on woodland ginseng production
and she on the cultivation of goldenseal,
ramps, and many other native herbs. Our
xi
approaches to small-scale farming and our
advice to prospective growers are similar
and compatible.
There is a great deal of material avail-
able, both in print and on the Internet that
discusses growing woodland botanicals.
Some of the information is excellent, but a
significant chunk is partial disinformation.
It is often not based on sound research — ​or
even on more than one grower’s experi-
ence — ​and profitability is not forthrightly
assessed. Cultivating native woodland
medicinal herbs in a sustainable manner
is often advocated primarily as an enjoy-
able, even noble, activity. Of course, it is a
noble and enjoyable activity (or it can be),
but Dr. Davis and I have a more hard-core
point of view: We are interested in using
best management practices and in turning
a profit.
Many people helped along the way as
Dr. Davis and I researched, wrote, and pre-
pared this text for publication. Plant scien-
tists, agriculture extension specialists, herb
growers, and herb buyers freely shared their
expertise, and many are ­acknowledged by
name within the text. However, we wish
xii • Preface I
to express special thanks to some of those
who are not mentioned by name: Dr. Wil-
liam G. Bailey (deceased), professor and
ginseng researcher at Simon Fraser Univer-
sity in British Columbia; Claude Deyton,
agricultural technician in Yancey County,
North Carolina; Ed Fletcher, chief operat-
ing officer of Strategic Sourcing, Inc.; Tony
Hayes, president of Ridge Runner Trading
Co.; Michael McGuffin, president of the
American Herbal Products Association; Al
Oliver, ginseng specialist for the British Co-
lumbia Ministry of Agriculture and Fish-
eries (retired); John T. A. Proctor, ginseng
researcher in the Department of Horticul-
tural Sciences at Guelph University in On-
tario (retired); Jan Schooley, ginseng and
medicinal herb specialist with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture at the Simcoe Re-
search Station (retired); and Robin Suggs,
executive director of the Yellow Creek Bo-
tanical Institute. We also wish to express
our great appreciation to Karen Hardy and
Jackie Greenfield who researched refer-
ences and helped in many other ways to
provide information for the manuscript.
Because we have limited photographic
skills, we are indebted to a broad spectrum
of friends, colleagues, growers, and even
professional photographers for supplying
the photographs that illustrate the text. We
thank them all here and give credit next to
their pictures. Lastly, we are particularly
grateful for the generous contributions
of two horticultural experts with expe-
rience writing about the propagation of
woodland herbs. Robert Beyfuss, ginseng
grower, researcher, and Cornell coopera-
tive extension agent (retired) for Greene
County, New York, reviewed the original
manuscript for the ginseng section of the
book, suggested needed improvements,
and even contributed photographs. Richo
Cech of Horizon Herbs reviewed the sec-
ond section and made suggestions covering
all the other native forest botanicals.
— W. Scott Persons, 2005, 2007, 2013
 Preface II
When it came time to update our book
for the second time, Scott and I agreed
we should make a few changes. Since the
book was first published in 2005, I have
received hundreds, if not thousands, of
requests from home gardeners wanting
to grow woodland botanicals. Every year
I offer propagation workshops and speak
at herb conferences, botanical gardens, and
to Master Gardeners about how to grow
one’s own forest medicine. Many of the
people who attend have already purchased
our book, and they tell us how much they
appreciate it. But we wrote the book for
commercial growers, and it definitely has
that angle to it. When I speak to home gar-
deners and hobbyists, I don’t talk to them
the same way that I speak to commercial
growers. So, for this edition of the book, we
added a section specifically for the home
gardener.
Over the past eight years, smartphones
and tablets (the electronic kind) have
­become ubiquitous. People who did not
have reliable or fast Internet connections
in 2005 now have instant access. In light
of this, we changed some of the reference
xiii
sections; now there are fewer snail mail
addresses and phone numbers, and more
website URLs and email addresses. We still
included names and contact information
for some of the companies offering plants,
seeds, and supplies, but there are many
more out there. Just use a search engine to
find them, and of course, check out their
quality and reliability. Finally, I expanded
the table that contained raw material prices
to provide a historical perspective on more
than 60 forest medicinals bought and sold
in North America. I also added sections
on wild-harvesting and the federal regula-
tions on dietary supplements that impact
­growers. And lastly, we have made this
book available in ebook format so you can
carry it with you wherever you go.
Once again, many people have helped
us make this new book a reality. We want
to thank Cynthia Bright, our first publisher,
for all her help and support in transition-
ing this book over to a new publisher. This
was her last project before she retired from
the publishing business. I especially want
to thank Bob Beyfuss, Eric Burkhart, Joe-
Ann McCoy, Randy Beavers, Ed Fletcher,
xiv • Preface II
Tony Hayes, Jackie Greenfield, and David
Cozzo for many stimulating discussions
about these fascinating plants. And finally,
I want to remember Andy Hankins, exten-
sion specialist with Virginia State Univer-
sity. He passed away suddenly in ­November
2012. Andy was a very special person who
dedicated his life to helping others. He
knew a great deal about growing ginseng
and shared his information freely in publi-
cations and presentations for over 25 years.
— Jeanine Davis, 2013
 Author Biographies

Jeanine M. Davis was born in Oak Park,

Illinois, and has lived in many states east
and west of the Mississippi. After acquiring
an A.A. degree in Fine Arts, she changed
majors and earned a B.S. degree in Hor-
ticulture from Delaware Valley College
in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She then
moved across the country where she earned
her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Horticulture
from Washington State University. In 1988,
she moved back east to join the faculty in
the Department of Horticultural Science at
North Carolina State University. There she merous papers, reports, and webpages on
is an associate professor and extension spe- research and activities demonstrating that
cialist at the Mountain Horticultural Crops cultivated herbs can provide a more reli-
Research and Extension Center near Ashe- able and consistent product for the market
ville, North Carolina. than wild-harvested material while at the
Jeanine’s research and educational pro- same time helping to conserve precious
grams are diverse, covering commercial native populations. Jeanine participates in
production of vegetables, new crops, me- numerous professional and non-profit or-
dicinal herbs, organics, and most recently, ganizations and speaks at conferences and
biodynamics. A constant in her program workshops across North America. She also
over the past 25 years has been a devotion to runs a small farm with her family, raising
the conservation of native medicinal herbs steer, horses, donkeys, chickens, bees, and
through cultivation. She has published nu- vegetable and herb gardens.

xv
xvi • Author Biographies

W. Scott Persons has successfully grown

American ginseng for 34 years. Born in
Durham, North Carolina, he graduated
from Duke University in 1967 with a B.A. in
Philosophy, and then went on to earn M.A.
and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Psychol-
ogy from Emory University. When mar-
riage led him to settle in western North
Carolina, Dr. Persons became fascinated
with the valuable woodland herb that flour-
ished there on the heavily forested hillsides
of his new wife’s homestead.
Established in 1979, his woodland gin- in Melbourne; he also speaks frequently
seng farm has not only supported his fam- about ginseng at conferences in the United
ily but also supplied planting stock (and States. As owner/operator of Green Gold
­often advice and counsel as well) to gin- Enterprises, Inc. he provides consultative
seng farmers all over the country — ​indeed, advice on all matters related to forest gin-
all over the world. His first book, Ameri- seng farming, and he brokers both domes-
can Ginseng: Green Gold has helped woods tic and international ginseng root sales.
growers from Alberta to Tasmania. Thus, he has both extensive hands-on
Scott represented American woods growing experience and a broad knowledge
growers at the International Ginseng Con- of the ginseng trade and the international
ference (IGC) in Vancouver in 1994, again world of ginseng.
at IGC 1999 in Hong Kong, and at IGC 2003
 Abbreviations and Definitions
CITES: Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora
EPA: United States Environmental Protec-
tion Agency
GAPs: Good Agricultural Practices
HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy
SARE: Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education Program
SMNPA: Smoky Mountain Native Plants
Association
USDA: United States Department of
Agriculture
USFWS: United States Fish and Wildlife
Service
Definitions
(written in context for this book and in
easy-to-understand language):
Annual: a plant that completes its life
­cycle, including producing seed, in
one year, and then dies.
Biennial: a plant that lives two years. It
blooms only in the second year, and
then dies.
Deciduous: a plant, usually referring to
a tree or shrub, that sheds its leaves
every year.
xvii
Dormancy (seed): a period during which
a mature seed “waits”, until certain
conditions (often a cold period) are
met before germinating.
Dormancy (bud): a period during which
a bud (on a branch or an underground
rhizome) cannot open until it has
been exposed to a set number of hours
below a certain temperature.
Herbaceous: a plant with stems and leaves
that die down each fall and regrow
from a perennial rhizome and/or roots
each spring.
Mycorrhiza: a symbiotic (mutually bene­
ficial) relationship between a fungus
and the roots of a plant.
Perennial: a plant that lives for more than
two years.
Scarification: the method of scratching,
nicking, or cracking a seed coat so the
seed can take in water and start the
germination process.
Stratification: a treatment in which seeds
are exposed to cold (often moist cold),
warmth, or alternating cold/warmth
to break dormancy so the seed can
germinate.
 General Introduction
In our complex world of cell phones, vir-
tual shopping malls, processed foods, and
managed health care, many people desire
to simplify their lives and make use of what
Nature has provided us. For a rapidly ex-
panding segment of the population, this
return to a more natural life includes the
use of medicinal herbs. A growing number
of us take herbs as a natural source of med-
icine, while others use them because they
are often less expensive than prescription
drugs. Some people want control over what
they consume, so they gather or grow their
own medicines and food. The forests of the
United States and Canada provide habitats
for many of the most popular medicinal
herbs. These plants have a special mystique
that spans cultures and generations.
For some time, we have noted that
there is increasing interest in growing na-
tive, perennial, woodland medicinal herbs
and that many people wish to gain at least
some supplemental income from their
production. Small landowners, if they go
about it wisely, can grow many of these na-
tive medicinals profitably while preserving
and even enhancing their woodlands. This
1
book provides guidance not only in the cul-
tivation of native forest herbs but also in
the economics of their production and sale.
Aspiring herb growers are often at-
tracted first to American ginseng, because
it is the most valuable medicinal botanical
and has a broad, well-established market,
which has existed almost continuously for
over 300 years. Indeed, in the southern part
of its range, people often refer to ginseng
as “green gold.” The first part of this book
is devoted entirely to this one native plant.
While little information exists on the
production of the other species covered
in this book, a good deal has already been
written on growing ginseng as a commer-
cial venture, including American Ginseng:
Green Gold by W. Scott Persons. In writing
the 2005 version of this book, Growing and
Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Other
Woodland Medicinals, we borrowed much
from the by then out-of-print 1994 edition
of Green Gold. The many North American
woodland ginseng farmers who read and
used that first edition will find portions of
the first part of the current book to be gen-
erally familiar; however, the content has
2 • General Introduction
been extensively revised and rewritten to
update the material and provide the most
comprehensive, detailed, practical, and re-
liable information available on the wood-
land production of ginseng.
One complete chapter of American
Gin­seng: Green Gold is included in this
revision. That is the interview with Oscar
Wood. Oscar has passed on, but his story
remains engaging and instructive to a be-
ginning ginseng farmer; moreover, reprint-
ing it again preserves the memory of a good
and gracious man a little longer.
The second part of this book provides
practical guidance in the production and
marketing of other native woodland herbs
that also have the potential to yield “green
gold.” Goldenseal and ramps are covered in
detail, because their economic potential is
well established and reliable information
on their propagation is available. Black
cohosh, bloodroot, and nine other lesser-­
known native botanicals are discussed as
thoroughly as present knowledge allows,
with emphasis on their potential and the
uncertainties associated with each. There
is not nearly as much information available
on growing and marketing any of these
herbs as there is for ginseng. Research stud-
ies, the experiences of many growers (in-
cluding the authors), and the knowledge of
several long-time buyers were the basis for
the advice provided here. The production
budgets are best estimates using all avail-
able information.
For the 2014 revision of this book, we
completely updated the entire book and
added a section for the growing number of
gardeners, herbalists, and herb enthusiasts
who want to grow these amazing plants for
their own enjoyment and use. There is also
some information about wild-harvesting
and some of the new federal regulations
concerning dietary supplements.
One of our hopes in publishing this
expanded version is that it will encourage
the herb grower to diversify as a means of
reducing risk and increasing long-term po-
tential.
 PA R T O N E
American Ginseng
For 33 years now, I have grown American
ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in the woods
not 30 yards from my front door. It allows
me a healthy, comfortable, low-stress life
that is a treasure to find in our hectic cul-
ture. An individual can cultivate a forest
garden of this revered herb just to have the
fascinating plant around or for his (or her)
own consumption, but ginseng also has
great potential as a small-scale cash crop
with a ready market. With little capital in-
vestment, the small farmer can net a greater
profit growing ginseng on a rugged, other-
wise idle, woodlot than he can net raising
just about any other legal crop on an equal
area of cleared land. Of course, you have to
be willing to bend your back and get your
hands dirty, and to take a risk and perse-
vere when the payoff is years in the future.
[Author’s note: A non-commercial home
gardening approach to growing ginseng is
discussed in chapter 32, but the home gar-
dener will certainly learn from the material
covered in the first half of this book.]
To guide the reader in growing ginseng,
I have drawn from my own hands-on expe-
rience, from discussions with other experi-
3
enced growers and agriculture profession-
als, and from my observations of ginseng
operations throughout the United States,
Canada, and Australia. Chapters 1 and 2
provide background information, much
of it essential knowledge for a grower. The
plant’s botany, life cycle, habitat require-
ments, range, and related species are all
covered; the regulation of commerce in
ginseng is explained at the international,
national, and state levels; and the long his-
tory of the ginseng trade, including recent
changes in the complex ginseng market, is
reviewed.
Chapters 3 through 7, in Part 2, “A Gin-
seng Grower’s Manual,” cover the three
basic methods of growing ginseng (includ-
ing rough production budgets for each),
the harvesting and processing of seeds
and roots, and the important business
decisions you will need to make. Among
other things, you will learn how to select
and prepare a planting site; how to acquire
your planting stock; what problems you are
likely to encounter and how to prevent or
deal with them; what has to be done when
throughout the year to care for your crop;
4 • American Ginseng
what costs and how much labor to antici-
pate; and who to sell to and how to get the
best price for your roots.
Then, in chapter 8, I have supplemented
my own thoughts by interviewing a gentle-
man who was successful growing ginseng
with his own individual methods. That in-
terview personalizes the growing experi-
ence, which may help you decide whether
ginseng farming is for you.
Finally, the Ginseng Resources sec-
tion in chapter 9 lists root buyers, sources
of planting stock, consultants, ginseng-­
related organizations, etc.; and the Ginseng
References section in chapter 10 provides
a listing of selected ginseng literature and
websites.
While the References includes a few
studies and accounts of ginseng’s therapeu-
tic benefits, I certainly claim no expertise
in either traditional Chinese medicine or
modern pharmacology, and a thorough
discussion of ginseng’s medicinal prop-
erties does not fall within the purview of
this book. However, most ginseng growers
would surely like to believe (as I do) that
they are producing a commodity with real
potential for human benefit. So I think the
subject is worth a moment’s attention be-
fore proceeding.
Although ginseng (referring loosely to
all species of the Panax genus) has an ex-
ceptionally long and continuous history
of medicinal use with an associated high
market value, there remains considerable
doubt (especially among many Western
scientists) as to its real potency. There is
compelling evidence that ginseng contains
biologically active compounds (primarily
steroidal saponins and polysaccharides),
but the evidence for their impact on human
physiological functions is less certain. Until
quite recently, studies on ginseng’s medici-
nal properties were often undertaken with-
out employing strict experimental controls
or standardized doses of ginseng. Conse-
quently, a consistency in scientific results
has been lacking, resulting in skepticism as
to ginseng’s genuine benefits.
But more scientists are studying ginseng
than ever before, and their new research
findings (many published in respected
Western journals), are consistently indicat-
ing a potential use for American ginseng,
Panax quinquefolius, in medical therapy.
Studies have shown, for example: that an
extract of the ginseng berry has potent
anti­diabetic effects in laboratory mice; that
ginseng root enhances copulatory behav-
ior in male rodents (yes, ginseng really is a
consistent and dramatically effective sex-
ual stimulant — ​at least for male rats!); that
regular consumption of ginseng by mice
stimulates their immune system response
in t­issues throughout the body; and that
ginseng inhibits the growth of most types
of human cancer cells — ​including lung,
skin, liver, GI, prostate, colon, and breast — ​
when they are growing in petri dishes or
have been implanted into rodents.
Perhaps the most promising research
on the anticancer effects of American
ginseng was done by Dr. Laura Murphy
at the Southern Illinois University School
of Medicine’s Department of P ­ hysiology,
whose entry into ginseng research was

initiated by the repeated urging of her
younger brother, a woodland ginseng
farmer. One line of Dr. Murphy’s research
focused on American ginseng as a comple-
mentary therapy, along with standard che-
motherapy, for treatment of breast cancer.
When cultured ­human breast cancer cells
are implanted into mice, the mice are reg-
ularly injected with a chemo­therapy drug,
and some of them are also fed American
ginseng, tumor shrinkage is much greater
in those mice who received the ginseng to-
gether with the traditional chemotherapy
drug. Thus, ginseng actually appears to
help the chemo­therapy drug work more ef-
fectively, and that suggests the dosage of the
toxic drug could be significantly reduced.
Scientists do not yet know how their
findings in laboratory animals are clini-
cally relevant to humans, but ginseng, par-
ticularly its polysaccharides, may stimulate
immune cells located in our digestive tract
to produce more potent immune cell stim-
ulators that ramp up the immune system
throughout our body. Dr. Murphy inves-
tigated one of these immune cell prod-
ucts, called TNF, or tumor necrosis factor,
which is a compound known to kill cancer
cells. Mice fed whole-ginseng extract for
four weeks have four times more TNF in
their blood stream. Having obtained these
­results in mice, Dr. Murphy “fed” ginseng
extract to human gut immune cells in
­petri dishes. After the gut immune cells
had time to secrete TNF (and many other
compounds), she introduced some of those
American Ginseng • 5
secretions into petri dishes with human
breast cancer or colon cancer cells. Consis-
tently, within 24 hours, the human cancer
cells were all dead!
Knowing of Dr. Murphy’s work and
other recent scientific evidence of ginseng’s
beneficial properties adds a small sense of
satisfaction to the daily chores of my gin-
seng business (as well as to the writing of
this book). I believe it is a good business
that I am engaged in and that you are con-
sidering.
As this revised edition of Growing &
Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal & Other
Woodland Medicinals is about to go to
press, the prices being paid for wild ginseng
are higher than ever before. While this cer-
tainly makes woodland ginseng growing
even more attractive, should roots continue
to bring such high value in the future, wild
populations could be threatened by over-
harvesting, and the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service might well feel compelled
to prohibit the export of wild ginseng in or-
der to protect the plant. Growers are there-
fore advised to proactively document their
purchases of planting stock and their grow-
ing operation in order to be able to prove
that their roots were not foraged from
wild populations. Increased production of
high-grade roots by woodland growers is
the best way to keep supply in balance with
demand, thereby keeping prices down and
protecting the still widespread populations
of wild ginseng.

American Ginseng:
Its Life Cycle, Range, Related
Species, and Government Regulation
Though it is one of the world’s most valuable
herbs, American ginseng, Panax quinque­
folius (Linnaeus, 1753), is a rather ordinary-­
looking little plant — ​about 20 inches high — ​
that grows inconspicuously on the floor
of hardwood forests throughout ­eastern
North America. Ginseng produces a new
stem and leaf top each year, but its value
lies buried in its slow-growing tuberous
rootstock. The great demand for its root has
led to the regulation of American ginseng’s
harvest and export.
Life Cycle
The First-year Seedling
When it sprouts between late April and
early June, a ginseng seedling has a small,
short stem supporting three tiny furled
leaflets. Within four or five weeks of sprout-
ing, the herb is about three inches tall and
leaflets are unfurled and fully developed.
At this point, the seedling looks something
like a wild strawberry plant. No further
7
1
f­oliar growth occurs after midsummer,
even if leaflets are damaged or lost. This is
true in subsequent growing seasons as well.
In autumn, the foliage turns a rich yellow
ocher and soon dies off, often hastened by
frost.
When the ginseng seed germinates in
the spring, it is the young root, or radicle,
that first emerges through the seed husk.
However, the root does not develop to any
appreciable extent until mid-summer, after
the leaflets have unfurled and completed
their season’s growth. The small skinny root
then grows from midsummer through the
fall and develops a solitary bud at its top,
below the ground. The root survives the
winter, freezing as the ground freezes. It is
from the bud that the single stem and leaves
will grow and unfurl the following spring.
Interestingly, examination of the bud under
magnification reveals the configuration of
the next year’s foliar top (that is, the num-
ber of prongs and leaflets).
8 • American Ginseng
Ginseng’s life cycle.
Foliage and Berries
In its second year, under optimal growing
conditions, the plant can reach five or more
inches in height and produce two prongs
branching from the central stem, each
prong being a single leaf composed of three
to five leaflets. If conditions are friendly
and fertile, the number of prongs will in-
crease with age, and the plant may even-
tually reach a height exceeding two feet. In
cultivated shade gardens, ginseng typically
produces three prongs in its third growing
season and often four prongs in its fourth.
However, in the wild, plants are usually five
to nine years old before they add a third
prong and begin to produce berries (with
seeds) in any quantity. In later years, par-
ticularly healthy and vigorous specimens
can have as many as five prongs radiating
from the top of the stem, with each prong
typically having five leaflets (occasionally,
as many as eight).
The species name, quinquefolius, means
five-leafed. The two smallest leaflets on a
prong are less than two inches long and the
other three larger leaflets are three or four
inches in length. The shape of the leaflets is
lanceolate, with saw-toothed edges ending
in a sharp point.
From the center of the whorl of prongs,
a delicate cluster of small, nondescript blos-
soms arises in early summer, usually on
 American Ginseng: Its Life Cycle, Range, Related Species, and Government Regulation • 9

American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) Second-year plant with typical two-pronged

during its first summer of growth. Photo by leaf development. Photo by James W. Wallace, Jr.
James W. Wallace, Jr.

Third-year plant with typical three-pronged Pairs of roots from one-, two-, and three-year-
leaf development. Photo by James W. Wallace, Jr. old woods-cultivated plants. Note bud for
next season’s growth at top of roots. Photo by
Kim Fadiman.

Flower spike beginning to blossom in early summer. Photo by James W. Wallace, Jr.
10 • American Ginseng
plants that are at least three years old. Each
blossom has five greenish-white p ­etals
only a few millimeters in width. A ginseng
plant is capable of self-pollination, but re-
productive success is greater when sweat
bees and other insects cross-pollinate the
flower clusters. By July or August, as few
as two or three green berries or (on large,
older plants) as many as 50 berries follow
the blossoms. These kidney-shaped berries
about the size of bloated black-eyed peas
turn a beautiful bright crimson color as
they ripen. Each ripe berry usually contains
two slightly wrinkled, hard whitish seeds
about the size and shape of a children’s as-
pirin tablet. Young plants sometimes pro-
duce berries containing only one seed, and
vigorous older plants often have berries
with three seeds in them. Under normal
conditions, the seeds do not germinate and
sprout until 18 to 20 months after they fall
from the plant in August or September.
The Root
The root continues to develop each grow-
ing season. Young roots are long, slender,
and generally light in color. As the root ma-
tures, its color often darkens, and the root
may become forked with tendrils extend-
ing from the main body. Occasionally, the
mature root grows into a form suggesting
human arms, legs, and torso. The name gin-
seng means “man root ” or “man essence”
in Chinese. First-year roots are usually be-
tween ⅛ and ¼ inches in diameter, while
the main trunk root of four-pronged plants
may thicken to an inch or more in diame-
ter and often exceed four inches in length.
Under ideal growing conditions, roots can
double or triple their size during each of
the first few seasons. During harsh condi-
tions such as prolonged drought or if fer-
tilization of otherwise poor soil is stopped,
roots can actually decrease in size with
commensurate reduction in the size of the
foliar top. Of course, malnourished plants
eventually die when there is no energy left
in the root to support a top. Even under
optimal conditions, once the plant begins
fruiting heavily, its growth rate gradually
slows u­ ntil increases in root weight are only
about 20 percent each year.
When the foliage dies in the fall, the
base of the stem breaks off just below
ground level, leaving a scar at the top of the
root. The next year’s bud will have devel-
oped on the opposite side of and just above
that scar. This yearly scarring produces a
root “neck,” technically called a rhizome,
which bears a series of alternating and as-
cending marks that indicate the age of the
ginseng. Under harsh conditions, plants
will lie dormant for one, or even several,
growing seasons, and no stem and hence no
scar will form. Twenty-year-old plants are
not rare, and one venerable survivor over
132 years of age has been documented. (See
photo in color section.)
American Ginseng’s Wild
and Cultivated Range
Ginseng occurs naturally throughout the
eastern half of North America as part of
the forest flora under hardwood timber.
Its range runs from southern Ontario and
Quebec to central Alabama, and from the
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mr. Replogle's
dream
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Mr. Replogle's dream

Author: Evelyn E. Smith

Release date: November 14, 2023 [eBook #72120]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc, 1956

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR.

REPLOGLE'S DREAM ***
 mr. replogle's dream

By EVELYN E. SMITH

This was a proud day in the life of modern

art. This exhibition would prove that the
machine could not conquer man.

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Fantastic Universe December 1956.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
 The Cimabue Gallery was the last stronghold of
nostalgia—expensive nostalgia. Apart for the
robot attendants—unfortunately necessary, the
times being what they were—there was
practically nothing machine-made about the
Gallery, dedicated as it was to being more than
a mere commercial venture. Evelyn E. Smith
returns to these pages with a gently ironic story
of men and dreams—the day after tomorrow....
"This," said Mr. Ditmars, "is a proud day in the life of the Cimabue
Gallery."
"It is a proud day in the life of modern art," added Mr. Replogle,
feeling that Mr. Ditmars was giving too parochial a picture of the
situation, "for it proves with more force than ever that the machine
will not conquer man."
Both partners gazed with varying degrees of complacency at the
large, brightly-colored oil paintings that covered the refined pastel
walls of the Cimabue. There was almost nothing machine-made
about the gallery—the thick, soft rugs had been hand-woven at
fabulous expense by workmen in the less industrialized areas of the
Middle East, the furnishings hand-carved by tribesmen deep in the
heart of the Australian bush. The only exception was the robot
attendants, which were, unfortunately, necessary, for no one paid
attention to human beings any more unless they were top
management or very high in the hierarchy of handcrafters.
Cimabue could afford all this luxury, and more too, for, now that big
business had become an art, art had become a big business. People
saved the excess from their government subsidies—or, if they were
lucky enough to have professional status, their salaries—to buy a
painting, a holograph manuscript ... anything to distinguish their
homes from the uniform grey mass of material comforts which the
government bestowed on everyone alike. As a result, the partners
were as wealthy as anyone outside the ruling class could hope to be.
However, Mr. Replogle, at least, was not happy. He suffered from
nightmares.
"But where is Orville?" demanded the man from the Times-Herald-
Mirror. "We haven't come to interview you two—you always say the
same thing about every new artist you discover. In fact, we already
have your words set up in type."
Mr. Ditmars gave him a benign smile. "Orville's case is different.
Never before in history has an absolutely unknown artist received
such an immediate ovation from the public. Why, almost every
picture on exhibit is already sold—the buyers have kindly allowed us
to retain them on our walls for the duration of the show as a service
to the public."
"Cimabue is more than a mere commercial venture," Mr. Replogle
added, wishing he could slip off for a paraspirin; his head hurt most
mechanically. "It is a cultural institution."
"Yeah, Orville did get pretty good write-ups," the World-Post and
Journal man conceded, "though any half-way decent artist sells like
hotcakes these days. People naturally go for anything that's hand-
made." And he fingered his hand-painted tie self-consciously. "But it
can't last."
This disturbed Mr. Replogle more than it should have. But he had
been bothered for many years by his recurring dream—a dream so
frightful that he did not dare to confide it to anyone because of its
terrifying plausibility. And anything said or done by day that seemed
to approach that midnight horror roused him to immediate
defensiveness. "Oh, yes it can last!" he protested. "It will! It must! For
art is the people's last bulwark against the machine—the one area
which cannot be mechanized, which reassures the human race that
it still is pre-eminent."
"Kindly do not touch the pictures," the roboguard droned.
"I was only feeling Orville's impasto," the lady from the Woman's
Own News defended herself. "Very thick."
I couldn't have told her to stop, Mr. Replogle reflected bitterly.
Coming from me it would have been rude, but from a robot it's all
right. Everyone knows a robot's only aim is to serve man. Our
altruism depends on our individual consciences; theirs is built-in and,
hence, more reliable.
"But where is Orville?" the man from the Times-Herald-Mirror
persisted. "He was supposed to be here at three-thirty, and it's
almost four now."
"Softly, softly," said Mr. Ditmars. "The robobar doesn't open itself until
four anyway, so you know you're in no hurry.... And, remember, a
great artist mustn't be rushed—he is not a machine, you know."
"Hervey McGeachin is bringing him," Mr. Replogle explained. "One
could hardly hurry McGeachin," he added ... unnecessarily, for
everyone knew that one didn't hurry the richest man in the United
States—one awaited his pleasure. Beside being fabulously wealthy,
McGeachin had the reputation of being something of a recluse, but
this did not make him more newsworthy, for all members of top
management tended to be a bit eccentric. The rank was hereditary—
it took more than one generation for a family to begin to understand
its machines—and there was a lot of inbreeding, with the usual
results.
"Orville is a protege of Mr. McGeachin's, isn't he?" asked the lady
from Woman's Own.
"Yes," Mr. Ditmars said. "All that was in the press release. He's one
of Mr. McGeachin's employees. Mr. McGeachin discovered him
personally, and he got in touch with us." Mr. Ditmars almost swelled
with visible pride; Mr. Replogle wished he would exercise a bit more
self-restraint. Such an open display of emotion was vulgar—almost
mechanical, one might say. Especially since they themselves were
management, in a way, although one didn't, of course, apply such a
word to those who dealt in the arts and crafts. The general public
feared and respected the management which governed them, but
they loved entrepreneurs.
"A factory hand!" Woman's Own gushed. "What a story that will
make!"
The male reporters laughed as one male. "Where have you been all
these years, cookie?" asked the World-Post and Journal. "I doubt if
there's a factory left in the United States that isn't mechanized to the
very hilt by now—with robot labor for the more specialized
operations."
"I know," she sighed. "Deep down inside of me I really know. I was
just hoping. I suppose I am—" and she batted her eyelashes "—like
all females, an incurable romantic. What do you suppose Orville is,
then?"
"Might be a clerk," Time-week suggested. "A lot of the big places still
use live clerical help for tone, and, of course, you always need a few
human beings around in case the machines break down."
"I somehow got the impression that he was an executive," Mr.
Ditmars said frostily.
"Let's hope not. It would ruin the human element in the story. You
can't expect our readers to identify with management."
"A minor executive, that is," Mr. Replogle hastened to inform them,
before Ditmars could open his big mouth again. "More like a shipping
clerk."
"Is Orville his first or his last name?" Woman's Own wanted to know.
"Just Orville," Mr. Ditmars said. "Like Rembrandt."
"Of course Rembrandt did have a last name," Mr. Replogle pointed
out. "He just isn't known by it."
"And Orville's more like Grandma Moses, anyhow, I would say,"
commented the Times-Herald-Mirror.
"He is a primitive, true," Mr. Replogle said judiciously. "If you insist
upon pinning a label on him, you might call him a post pre-
Raphaelite, with just a soupcon of Rousseau."
"I didn't know Rousseau painted," the World-Post and Journal man
said, busily clicking on his typopad.
"Not that one," Mr. Replogle told him kindly. "The other two."
"How old is Orville?" Woman's Own held her typopad at the ready.
"How many children does he have? Is he married? Fond of animals?
What does he eat for breakfast?"
"For heaven's sake," Mr. Ditmars exploded, "it isn't the man himself
that matters—it's the man as interpreted through his art! And you
can see that art for yourself." He waved his arms toward the pale
gallery walls. "Drink it in and absorb the essence of the artist."
"But we'd like a little more factual data, as a point of departure. After
all, our readers—"
"All right, all right," Mr. Ditmars said before Mr. Replogle could stop
him, "I'll give you all the facts we have—to wit, none. All we know
about Orville we put into the release. McGeachin's been keeping him
under wraps. We don't know a thing about him. He's eccentric—
McGeachin, I mean."
"Could be Orville also," the World-Post and Journal suggested.
Mr. Ditmars sighed. "Could be Orville also," he conceded.
"It's more of a story if Orville is eccentric. You more or less expect it
from management."
"Well," Mr. Replogle said, unable to contain himself further—his head
was really blasting off—"artists can be pretty peculiar people too."
It was Mr. Ditmars' turn to glare at him.
"Make way for Hervey McGeachin III and Orville," the robot at the
door declaimed. "Make way...."
Every head swivelled to catch sight of the well-known but seldom-
seen financier, as he came jerkily through the crowd. All the
journalists were dressed in the maroon or beige or navy synthetics of
almost similar cut that mass production had enforced upon the entire
population, save for the very wealthy. Gay knitted mittens, colorful
plumed hats, rainbow-hued scarves—all of which were
ostentatiously hand-made—showed that the pressmen were
professionals and not mere government pensioners who could do
nothing that a machine could not do as well or better. However,
although there were no sumptuary laws as such, few of the
journalists could afford more than one or two of these costly, status-
making accessories.
McGeachin was completely costumed in rugged individualist style.
His scarlet silk hose, emerald satin knee breeches, swallow-tailed
plum velvet coat, and starched white ruff made Mr. Replogle, who
had been rather proud of his own pale blue brocade waistcoat and
seal-skin mukluks almost sick with envy. He's so hand-made he's
practically mechanical, he said bitterly to himself.
McGeachin was followed by a Class Three, All-Purpose Manual
Labor Robot, well-burnished but of rather an early pattern. Surely,
Mr. Replogle thought, if the financier had to use a mechanical man,
and personal attendants were far more hand-made, he could at least
have got a more recent model.
"Welcome to Cimabue, Mr. McGeachin," Mr. Ditmars and Mr.
Replogle said almost simultaneously.
"But where is Orville?" the senior partner added.
McGeachin pointed with his long green cigar. "This is Orville," he
said in a crisp metallic voice.
Mr. Replogle could feel himself growing pale all the way down to his
mukluks. This was precisely the way his nightmare had always
begun. Only now it was reality ... or was it? Perhaps he was back in
the dream again. He could close his eyes and, when he opened
them, he would be lying in his own standard air-conditioned toti-
comfort sleeplounge under his own satin-covered, goose-down filled
luxury quilt.
"A robot!" he could hear Mr. Ditmars wail, as the typopads began to
click thinly, his voice somehow sounding far away. "How could you—
why didn't you let us know he was a robot beforehand?"
Mr. Replogle opened his eyes and nothing had changed; it was all
real—it was the end.
"Because you would have discriminated against him," Hervey
McGeachin was saying, his grey face shiny with excessive emotion.
"Everybody discriminates against my poor robots. Trustworthy, hard-
working, clean, loyal to a fault—yet everybody discriminates against
them merely because they're machines. I knew that, if I had told you
he was a robot, you would never have hung his pictures in Cimabue,
in spite of the fact that it was I who recommended him."
Top management or no, Mr. Replogle felt he must speak; there were
principles at stake. The dismal future of humanity rested somehow in
his own shaking hands. "Sir," he said, in a hoarse voice, "you have
not dealt fairly with us. You said that this Orville was a protege of
yours."
"And so he is." McGeachin put a thick, unmuscular arm around the
robot's hard shoulders. "He is my protege and friend and I don't care
if people do call me a robot-lover."
There was a gasp from the reporters, even those representing the
liberal press.
McGeachin pointed his cigar at them. "Listen," he said.
"Autobiographical note." Typopads began to click. "Up until the age
of seventeen I hardly knew there was anybody on the planet but
robots. My father didn't have time to mess around with kids, since he
believed in running all of his multifarious industries personally. I,
myself, though I tour the factories only once a year, have succeeded,
by means of a computer and a ouija board, in increasing what little
remained of his vast fortune after taxes to an amount that is ten
times as great as his was at its peak."
"How do you spell ouija?" the man from the World-Post and Journal
interrupted.
"So," McGeachin continued, after affably spelling the word and
making a few adverse remarks on the sad state of current education,
"during my childhood, I was left entirely in the care of robots, and I
was a happy, carefree lad until I was sent to Harvard. There I
discovered the dark truth which has over-shadowed my life ever
since and rendered me a virtual recluse—that there are also large
numbers of people in the world. Give me a robot, any time.
Trustworthy, hard-working, clean, loyal to a fault, and, in Orville's
case, artistic also. Tell 'em how you started in to paint, Orville."
"Well, it was like this, gents," Orville said in a voice like a rusty hinge.
"I work for the Perfect Paint Section of the Superior Chemicals
Division of the Universal Materials Corporation, which is a subsidiary
of the McGeachin interests, and, as I'm getting along in gears, I was
put onto artists' oil colors, which are individually ground, like all the
artists nowadays want 'em to be—"
"In all McGeachin products, from paints to parliaments," the financier
interjected, "the customer comes first, insofar as his desires are
compatible with the mass-production methods necessarily imposed
upon us by automation."
"—And there was a little left over of some colors what wouldn't fit into
the tubes, and the forebot says to me, he says, 'Throw 'em into the
disposal, Orville—'"
"—All the McGeachin robots have names. It gives that personal
touch I like to have around my plants." There was something
extraordinarily odd about McGeachin, Mr. Replogle felt, though he
couldn't quite put his finger on just what it was ... something more
than mere eccentricity, something curiously sinister.
"—And I says to the forebot, 'Begging your pardon, sir, but if there
was no other use for 'em, I would like to try my hand at painting a
picture like on the pretty calendars Perfect Paint sends out every
Christmas.' And he says to me, laughing-like, 'Well, if that's what you
want to do with your restoration period, Orville, more power to you' ...
which is—" the robot snickered "—a kind of little joke we have
amongst ourselves at the factory."
One of the Cimabue robots gave a laugh which Mr. Replogle cut
short with a glance.
"But I didn't know they could do that," the Times-Herald-Mirror said
plaintively. "Laugh, I mean."
"Ah," McGeachin told him, "that's because you never bothered to
understand the real robot. You don't look beyond the metal to the
wires that vibrate underneath."
"So I painted a picture on a piece of cardboard," Orville continued
patiently, "—the side of a carton it was—and the picture was much
admired in the plant, though I says it as shouldn't, and Mr.
Pembroke, the superintendent, went so far as to ask if he might have
it to hang in his office, which, of course, I was glad to have him do.
And there it come to the attention of Mr. McGeachin when he was
making his annual tour of the plant.... Mr. McGeachin is—" Orville
approximated a modest cough "—by way of being a connoissoor."
"When I saw that picture, I knew I was standing in the presence of
solid genius," McGeachin took over. "Mind you, when I heard it had
been painted by a robot, I was surprised myself, I admit it freely. But
I was not prejudiced. I had spent all my life with machines and I
knew of what fine handcraft they were capable. 'Why shouldn't a
robot paint a picture?' I asked myself. 'No reason whatsoever,' I
answered. And I was right, as is amply evidenced by this splendid
and tastefully arranged display." He beamed at Mr. Ditmars, who
groaned.
"But it's impossible," the lady from Woman's Own protested, looking
as if only the dignity of her profession kept her from bursting into
tears. "How could a robot paint a picture. How could it want to paint
a picture?"
"I dunno," Orville, as the only one who could conceivably be
expected to answer this question, said. "It just come to me like that.
You could say I was inspired, I guess."
"But inspiration is a human prerogative! If a robot can be inspired,
what is left for people now?"
"'Tisn't for me to say, miss," Orville said modestly, "only I don't see
why we both couldn't be inspired. Peaceful coexistence, like. If
robots are designed to serve man, they could do a better job of it if
both—man and machine—work side by side harmoniously."
"Work!" exclaimed the male reporters unharmoniously.
Mr. Replogle closed his eyes. He had never expected to hear such a
mechanical word in the chaste purlieux of his gallery—his and Mr.
Ditmars' gallery, that was, but it didn't matter, soon it wouldn't be
anybody's gallery. Reality was following the inexorable course of the
dream and they were doomed.
"No offense intended," Orville said hastily. "I meant work like maybe
painting or knitting. I didn't mean machine work."
"And why not machine work?" McGeachin demanded. "Why
shouldn't man work with his hands instead of just crafting?"
A little man, Replogle thought, would be lynched for saying a more
than mechanical thing like that—mechanical, why it was down-right
subversive!—but McGeachin was secure because of the position
that he maintained only as a result of the sweat and toil of others.
Only, of course, robots don't sweat. The light film that had begun to
cover Orville was doubtless only excess oil. Disgusting,
nevertheless.
"Listen," McGeachin said, pointing his long, green cigar at the
reporters. "Important announcement. I have decided to replace all
my feedback equipment, except where the most delicate operations
are involved, by people."
The typopads clicked furiously.
"You ask me why?" although no one had; they were much too
stunned. "Because robots, though trustworthy, hard-working, clean,
and loyal to a fault, have one drawback—they're expensive. A
worker dies or gets sick, it's no extra money out of my pocket—I got
to pay taxes for his welfare anyway. A robot breaks down, his loss is
all mine. A human worker I got to take care of maybe six, seven
hours a day, a robot twenty-four hours—and it isn't as if they worked
all that time; they got to have rest periods too, or they wear out too
fast. A human worker isn't my responsibility—a robot I got to look out
for all the time."
"But I thought you liked machines better than people," Mr. Replogle
said.
"So, is management expected to like labor? Is labor supposed to like
management? Traditional enemies. I just figured out why I've been
so unhappy most of my life—I like my employees. It's unnatural. It's
—"
"Wrong, Mr. McGeachin?" quavered Woman's Own. "What do you
mean?"
"I'm going to put people in my factories and have robots at my dinner
table.... They don't eat—" McGeachin chuckled fruitily "—so you can
see what an economy move that would be."
Nobody laughed. If McGeachin hadn't been top management—really
top management—Mr. Replogle knew, he would have been torn to
pieces. But top management was boss; it was government; it was
divine right. Nobody did anything.
"If the machine can replace man," Orville suggested, "why can't man
replace the machine? Plenty of room for both.... Did I say something
wrong?" he added, seeing the expressions on the human faces that
surrounded him.
"You're just ahead of your time, boy." McGeachin clapped him on the
shoulder. "But you're right. Why can't man co-exist with the
machine? Why can't robots paint pictures and write books and
compose operas, while people work in the factories? Don't know just
yet how it'll work out in the factories, but it'll be a great day for art!"
"We're going to have to give the money back," Mr. Replogle said
dully.
"What money?" McGeachin asked, obviously annoyed by this
anticlimactic remark.
"The money paid for Orville's pictures. We cheated the buyers—
unwittingly, it is true, but we cheated them nonetheless. We sold the
pictures as hand-mades. They're machined."
"But I have hands," Orville protested.
Mr. Ditmars shook his head. "You're a machine. Replogle is right.
Cimabue is ruined."
"I'll make good your losses," McGeachin said in his crisp, metallic
voice, and just then Mr. Replogle knew what had been bothering him
all along about the financier. Despite his completely hand-made
costume McGeachin looked exactly like a robot. The triumph of
environment over heredity—or was it as simple as that, Mr. Replogle
wondered. Everyone knew who Hervey McGeachin's father was, but
who had his mother been?
"No one can make good our losses," Mr. Ditmars told him. "Modern
art has suffered a crushing blow from which it will never recover. The
handwriting is on the wall."
"You mean the typewriting," Mr. Replogle said.
 *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR.
REPLOGLE'S DREAM ***

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